The Library Collection

Opus V - Woods Symphony Amouage 2011

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7.4 / 10 269 Ratings

A perfume by Amouage for women and men, released in 2011. The scent is woody-floral. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Sabco Group / Oman Perfumery.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Woody

Floral

Spicy

Oriental

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Orris absolute Rum

Rum

Heart Notes

Rose

Orris concrete Jasmine

Jasmine

Base Notes

Dry woods

Oud

Civet

Perfumer

Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.4269 Ratings

Longevity

8.2221 Ratings

Sillage

7.7220 Ratings

Bottle

8.0204 Ratings

Value for money

5.8103 Ratings

Submitted by Naeschen, last update on 07/10/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "The Library Collection" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

6 - Carnal Spirit

Florentine Iris Eau de Parfum

Wish Come True

Valentino Uomo Intense (2016)

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/31/2012

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 9
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Top Review 10

The Gift of Kings

I purchased Opus V by Amouage on a mad scramble through Dubai International Duty Free early this year. I'm a frequent traveler and on this particular occasion I'd won some money during a lucky night at the Blackjack tables and it was eating a hole in my pocket :).

I had an extremely fast connection, so I hurtled up to the concession and blurted out "gimme something with Oud and lots of Roses." The obligatory sniff I took seemed fine so I grabbed it (as it was the latest release at the time) along with a bottle of Lyric Man and as I was coughing up a serious chunk of my winnings, heard the 'last call' announcement for my flight. A mad rush to say the least and not the best way to buy an expensive bottle of fragrance!!
My first few wearings of Opus V were rather tough ... so much so that the bottle has remained pretty much untouched for the last six months or so. I decanted some for a Parfumo friend a few days ago (getting it all over myself in the process) ... and was struck dumb at the immaculate beauty of this creation!!
As I write this, I'm finding it hard to believe that I haven't yet emptied the bottle! Opus V opens with an immediate mèlange of slightly medicinal Oud and Civet, quickly followed by the faintest whisper of Iris ... which slowly crescendo's like an impossible note ornamented by a skillful tenor, undoubtedly provided by the reported 'Orris concrete' listed on Amouage's website. It's simply breathtaking!!!
A plump Rose takes up residence before long, with an aquatic Jasmine in situ, shimmering away like the reflected ripples on a pond. The deep dry down is somewhat dry and quite 'woodsy', the Orris still omni-present and the Civet adding a raunchy purr. I'm rather a fan of Civet in controlled doses ... it's very well conceived in Opus V. Noteworthy to mention, is that I get a more accessible vibe here than I normally do from Arabic fragrances, many of which are undoubtedly an acquired taste. Opus V carries a 'westernized' mien.
This is the sort of fragrance that reminds one of Haute Couture and champagne drenched lunches at the Polo club in some exotic location. It smells of wealth and opulence ... truly a "Gift of Kings".

I think my nose has had to develop some before finding full appreciation of Opus V. Definitely one that deserves to be worn more frequently!!!

04/20/2025

4
Pricing 9
Bottle 6
Sillage 6
Longevity 7
Scent

DAVID043329
37 Reviews

DAVID043329

Very helpful Review 6

Deforestation

When you hear a fragrance being called "Woods Symphony", you'd expect it to go heavy on the wood and oud accords. You'd expect those to be the main stars of the show. You'd expect it to give you that feeling of walking through a forest full of cedar trees, exuding an aromatic woody aroma in the air around you. And maybe once, it was like that; maybe it once stood tall in this mighty forest. But now, I look around, and all that I see are flowers surrounding the remaining trunks of the cut trees.

That largely summarizes Opus V - Woods Symphony, or at least my experience with it. As @Wusubi made me aware of, this fragrance has been reformulated heavily, shifting its focus to a more approachable and even mass-appealing woody fragrance. And in the context of niche fragrances, that's hardly a good thing.

Nonetheless, what does Opus V - Woods Symphony smell like? As soon as I spray, the orris makes its presence known instantly, with a smooth, powdery aroma, slightly sweet, and of course, floral. The rum note, I barely get on its own, so I assume it is pretty well-blended with the orris and the rest of the notes.

Soon enough, the jasmine and rose join the scene, and just accentuate the overall floral DNA of the fragrance. The jasmine brings its intensely fragrant sweetness and slight muskiness, whereas the rose gives an ever so slightly fruity undertone, and a smooth, honey-like warmth. The orris and its powdery floral signature scent are still very much present. So far, I'm fairly pleased, as far as floral fragrances go.

But that's the thing - this isn't a floral-first fragrance, technically. Its name is "Woods Symphony", not "Floral Symphony". Sure enough, forests do have flowers scattered along their soil; you got me there. But now, after such a nice, smooth floral opening, I would love to get a woody, even slightly animalic finisher. But that's not the case. The dry wood accord is somewhat noticeable, even though it is a subtle scent on its own. It's got a faint, clean, woody feel which sits somewhere in the background of the composition. It does sort of turn down the powderiness of the orris a little bit, as well as the floral sweetness, and overall, seems to balance things out. However, the oud note? Barely there. As the fragrance dries down, it does 'warm up' a bit and it does give an extremely soft and faint earthy feel, but we're talking faint as in the faintest whisper. So barely any oud. And don't even get me started on the civet. It left this forest a long time ago. So those that are scared of trying this fragrance out because of the listed civet note, stay calm. There's no sign of any animalic scent here (not anymore, at least).

Performance here is decent at best. In terms of longevity, I got about 5-6 hours before the floral composition would completely dry out from my skin. And in terms of projection, it was actually pretty consistent, keeping half a foot to a foot bubble around me for the first 2-3 hours. At times, I'd get a pretty noticeable whiff of it, thing that rarely happens to me with most fragrances. But overall, it's a more subtle performer. As I've heard, before the reformulations, performance was better here. And it makes sense. Before it got reformulated, the oud and civet notes were much more potent (or better said, they were actually here), and that would've definitely aided the overall longevity of the fragrance. So with the current formulation, I'd go with a solid 5 sprays.

One of the obvious and undeniable effects that toning down the oud and civet/animalic notes does to a fragrance is make it much more versatile. And indeed, Opus V - Woods Symphony fits pretty much any occasion in nearly any season (but primarily, spring and autumn), and it is perfectly unisex. It's smooth, pleasant, subtle, and hardly offensive.

But I am curious how Opus V - Woods Symphony smelled before it got reformulated. I am curious how this once great and symphonic forest filled the land that is now covered in roses, jasmines, and orrises. The dry tree trunks are the only things that hint at what took place here: deforestation. The trees were brought down; the woody/oud accords nearly nowhere to be felt. The wildlife fled in search of a new home; the civet is long gone, extinct. And so, with all of these in mind, can you still call it a forest? Definitely not. Similarly, can you still call this fragrance "Woods Symphony"? I don't think so. The symphony is still there, but it's floral, not woody. So don't be deceived by its name - there's hardly anything woody left in Opus V - Woods Symphony.

And while it is a fairly pleasant composition, it's also quite simple and ultimately, bland, and I don't think it deserves its hefty price tag.

Overall Rating: 6.4/10

11/21/2012

10
Sillage 10
Longevity 6
Scent

Ysbrand
84 Reviews

Ysbrand

Helpful Review 5

Limbo halls

The first impression of Opus V is awkward. If fragances have an evocative power, being able to transport us to a place, a moment or a state of mind, by appealing to any of the many human emotions or themes, Opus V doesnt suggest anything i can relate to. Which is not neccesarily a bad thing, but it is not a good one either.

I look in the website in search of any Opus V mythology or inspiration that makes me understand the fragance better: Opus V "explores the transformative journey of conventional media through the coalescing power of the Internet; navigating a world that is changed radically and forever" And I thought I was a nerd. "Changed radically and forever" are not good words in my book, they make me feel lost and insecure, and indeed i felt a bit lost in Opus V.

It starts with a boozy, aged iris, animal notes and agarwood. It smells to musty old books (which is a nice smell) with the strange, medicinal oud, and then flowers; there is a nice dose of a dirty jasmine, as well, and the floral notes merge with the civet. There is a bit retro thing going on in this perfume.

I think that the problem, or the problem FOR ME, because i understand this could be an asset for others, is that there are some "challenging" notes all together in Opus V: indolic jasmine, civet and oud. They have difficult scents, all of them, that IMHO can make a perfume a winner, or can be off-putting. Opus V is not off-putting, but is not pretty at all either. I find the iris amazing here, staying in the background forever, and i kind of enjoy the animalic jasmine, but only sometimes i had a tiny "bad breath" whiff in between the petals that, well, i hadn´t experienced before, and i guess the only real problem is that I personally don´t like oud so much : when i smell oud i have a sensation that something is wrong, and i have to remember myself that is supposed to smell "ill" on a purpose. The oud note is basically there all the time in Opus V.

It is a sillage monster, on top of that.

Nevertheless i happen to love the drydown. Basically there is an extremely dry, vibrant, almost harsh, wood that i find wonderful and hypnotic, and reminds me to the Bois in Miel de Bois! And there is more, this note lasts forever and ever on the skin and clothes, outliving the oud. In the clothes, like, days.

I will never own a bottle of Opus V (even if i could afford it) but I am giving it a good rate because the ones who love oud, indolic jasmine and civet are going to be thrilled with it, and the perfume really smells like it is the finest quality. I praise it for its uniqueness, despite i find most notes challenging.

03/03/2013

7.5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 10
Longevity 7
Scent

Miaw2
339 Reviews

Miaw2

Helpful Review 2

Exotic

The rum note along with oud turns it into a very interesting fragrance.

Very different smell if you're used to rose+oud combo. Definetely a must try.

Projection, lasting power and sillage are huge. Thumbs up!

Updated January 2014

06/26/2024

Ninamariah
249 Reviews

Ninamariah

3

Orris which makes me think a watercolour painting

Top: Orris Absolute, Rhum
Heart: Orris Concrete, Rose, Jasmine
Base: Agarwood, Civet, Dry Wood Accord

Woods Symphony is soothing and attractive, beautiful and sophisticated, it’s like a fragile watercolor painting compared to other scents in Opus collection. I think it’s the reason why it’s a hidden gem. People love Opus collection because of very bold and edgy juices and this is totally different. It’s not weak anyway - Woods Symphony is light yet long lasting with good projection.

It was totally coincidence that I found this. My dear friend bought this one earlier and after checking it I knew it would be a big love for me. Powdery Orris with a little bit sweet Rum is irresistible, Rose and Jasmine makes the blend somewhat traditional and very classy while woody base with a hint of Oud and Civet brings the glamour of some vintage perfumes. Still the concoction is very youthful.

So beautiful and perfect for any occasion and any weather!

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